"Step into the shadows of the Scottish Highlands, where no one is as innocent as they seem, and the path to the truth could be the most dangerous journey yet…
When a string of fatal accidents on the notorious A9 road catches the attention of DI Alec McKay, he uncovers something far more sinister than just bad luck. As the body count rises, McKay stumbles onto a decades-old conspiracy involving corruption and a murder case that should’ve been buried a long time ago.
But the deeper McKay digs, the more dangerous the game becomes. A shadowy killer is systematically eliminating anyone who knows the truth, and McKay may be next. Racing against time, with his closest allies compromised and a relentless killer lurking, McKay must navigate a web of deception and betrayal where every answer leads to more deadly questions…
Dark, gritty, and full of unexpected twists, this Scottish crime thriller is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin's atmospheric mysteries."
"A horrific massacre in the Scottish Highlands reveals far more sinister secrets than a simple family tragedy in this tense and riveting police procedural.
When the Dawson family is found slaughtered in what appears to be a tragic murder-suicide, it seems like another heartbreaking case of a man pushed to the edge, taking his wife and children with him before ending his own life. But DI Alec McKay has doubts. Why was a mysterious BMW spotted at the Dawsons’ holiday home that day, and why are its owners also now dead? What’s behind the erratic behaviour of the new senior investigating officer? And, most disturbingly, who is sending out packages containing toys taken from the crime scene?
As McKay digs deeper, he uncovers a twisted web of lies, leading back to a threat from his own past. To solve this case, McKay must confront his darkest fears and a crime that could leave him devastated in ways he never imagined…
Filled with pulse-pounding suspense and emotional twists, this gripping thriller will captivate fans of Ian Rankin and Val McDermid, it’s a must-read for lovers of dark, atmospheric police procedurals."
"A killer is sending a message. But who is it for?
DI Annie Delamere and her colleague DS Zoe Everett are off duty and enjoying a walk on the Peak District’s vast moorlands when they stumble across a mutilated corpse. The victim is unclothed and his tattoos indicate an affinity with the occult.
While Annie is put in charge of the case her long-term partner, MP Sheena Pearson, is confronted by a group of far right extremists. Rather than back down Sheena chooses to stand her ground – and almost pays for it with her life.
As more bodies are found, Annie is under pressure to prove her worth. But with one eye on her personal affairs can she catch a murderer and still keep her loved ones safe? And are the killings the work of a deranged mind – or a cover for something even more chilling?"
"A series of brutal murders dredges up dark secrets from the past, and DI Alec McKay finds himself caught in the crossfire in this pulse-pounding Scottish Highlands thriller.
As the winter chill grips the Highlands, a body is discovered burned alive in a solstice bonfire, kicking off a harrowing Christmas season. When a retired businessman is found hanging from a tree and another associate is savagely murdered in his isolated home, the team is stretched to the limit. With DCI Helena Grant away for a romantic holiday with crime writer Bill Emsworth, McKay must navigate a series of baffling killings under mounting pressure—amidst staff shortages and the relentless Scottish winter.
As McKay races to connect the dots, he uncovers that the victims are all tied to a decades-old investigation, sensationalised in a true-crime book penned by Emsworth. With another businessman missing, McKay fears the killer’s next target may be disturbingly close to home—Helena and Emsworth could be in the crosshairs.
To save them, McKay must unravel a mystery rooted in Helena Grant’s own past, before the killer closes in for the final strike…
For fans of Ian Rankin, this gripping, atmospheric thriller combines complex characters, chilling crimes, and the unforgiving Scottish landscape into an unmissable tale of suspense."
"Detective Inspector Alec McKay is drawn into a chilling hunt for a serial killer. But first he must face the demons of his own past…
Still grieving the tragic loss of his daughter, McKay becomes obsessed with a seemingly cold missing persons case—until bodies start turning up across the Black Isle. Each victim is surrounded by roses and candles, leaving McKay and his team to untangle the disturbing ritual behind the murders. As they struggle to crack the killer’s cryptic pattern, McKay’s own life begins to unravel.
Meanwhile, the young woman who discovered the first victim embarks on a dangerous investigation of her own—one that catches McKay’s eye, and the killer.
Alec McKay’s quest for justice will force him into a deadly game of cat and mouse, where the line between right and wrong becomes blurred, and the truth could cost him everything…
This gritty crime thriller, set against the brooding backdrop of the Scottish Highlands is perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and makes “compulsive reading” -The Independent."
"An elderly woman is found dead, her death peaceful but unexpected. Days later, a middle aged former television journalist dies in a similar manner. Both deaths prove to be murder, but with no obvious links between the two victims. When a former neurologist is also found murdered, it appears that DCI Kenny Murrain is dealing with a random multiple killer.
Murrain, meanwhile, is still dealing with the tragic fallout from his previous case, struggling to hold together a team which is fragmenting by the day. His problems deepen when a key member of the team is accused of leaking information to the media.
When further murders occur among patients in a local hospital, Murrain begins to suspect that the killings are less random than they appear, and that he and his team may be in the killer's sights. With the death count rising, Murrain realises he has no choice but to seek out the murderer face to face…
'A talent to be reckoned with … A strong story line, muscular prose and a real sense of pace…a police procedural for a new age' - Daily Mail"
"When will the voices stop? The murder of professional astrologer Andrew Gorman seems a straightforward case for DCI Kenny Murrain – a tragic death resulting from an interrupted burglary. But when Gareth Clayburn, assistant to stage medium Justin Bannerman, is found dead in identical circumstances, Murrain begins to suspect the murders are linked. Meanwhile, Geoff Nolan, television personality and professor of psychology, is developing a new series exploring the psychology of the paranormal. Starting with Bannerman's work as a supposed spiritualist. When Murrain receives an unexpected approach from the security services, he realises that the links between the killings lie deep in Murrain's own past and his own paranormal gifts. After days of rain and with floodwaters rising. Murrain finds himself in a race against time to prevent further deaths. In a shattering climax at Nolan's riverside home, Murrain finally comes face to face with an adversary who shares his remarkable gifts, as the book races to its dramatic and potentially tragic climax.
'A talent to be reckoned with … A strong story line, muscular prose and a real sense of pace…a police procedural for a new age' - DAILY MAIL"
"DI Annie Delamere and her colleague DS Zoe Everett are off duty and enjoying a walk on the Peak District's vast moorlands when they stumble across a mutilated corpse. While Annie is put in charge of the case her long-term partner, MP Sheena Pearson, is confronted by a group of far right extremists. Sheena chooses to stand her ground – and almost pays for it with her life. As more bodies are found, Annie is under pressure to prove her worth. But with one eye on her personal affairs can she catch a murderer and still keep her loved ones safe? And are the killings the work of a deranged mind – or a cover for something even more chilling?"
"The DI Alec McKay Series are atmospheric and gripping crime novels set in the Scottish Highlands. They will appeal to fans of authors like Ann Cleeves, Peter May and Helen Fields.
A family day out turns sour for DI McKay when he stumbles across an unidentified corpse. The day becomes darker still when his brother-in-law goes missing and is eventually found dead, the result of a seemingly accidental fall. Meanwhile, DCI Helena Grant has a disastrous on-line date with a pompous senior manager of a local hotel chain. Her initial amusement turns to unease at his disturbing behaviour. And, as she arrives home, she receives a threatening text from someone who has been watching her. When a further body is found, McKay and Grant finally begin to piece together a story that involves violence, people trafficking and the darkest family secrets."
"Alex Walters is the bestselling and critically-acclaimed author of the DI Alec McKay series, Winterman is a gripping serial killer thriller which will appeal to fans of Stuart Macbride, and Mark Edwards.
DI Ivan Winterman is a man with a troubled past. The Blitz has left his young son dead and his wife seriously injured. He has made enemies in high places and, with his career going nowhere, he returns to his home town in East Anglia, seeking to rebuild his life in a country gripped by post-war austerity. As the snow begins to fall, a drunken ex-clergyman stumbles on the semi-mummified body of a small child concealed in a ruined cottage. Days later, a second child's body is found in a Fenland dyke. Winterman, supported by a small team of assorted misfits, finds himself uncovering a web secrets in the small rural community. When a further murder victim is discovered, Winterman discovers that the secrets are darker and the threat far more immediate than he'd ever envisaged."
"One winter's night, a lone figure arrives on foot in a remote Pennine village. The next morning, as the first heavy snow begins to fall, a man's body is discovered in the village churchyard. Anne Tilston, one of three sisters living in a brooding run-down house in the shadow of the church, realises that the dead man is her father, a disgraced former senior police officer long estranged from his family. As DCI Kenny Murrain's team arrive in the village to investigate the unexplained death, a further body is discovered in a nearby field – a young man from the village with no apparent connection to Tilston or his daughters. With the snow continuing to fall, another body is discovered, and Murrain finds himself stranded with his team in the sisters' house with a seemingly motiveless killer waiting outside in the night.
“A talent to be reckoned with … A strong story line, muscular prose and a real sense of pace…a police procedural for a new age.” DAILY MAIL"
"A missing child's body is found on the edge of the Peak District. As DCI Kenny Murrain and his team investigate, more attempted child abductions are reported. Murrain's instincts tell him this is a community with secrets, and those secrets have their roots deep in the past. Unexpected connections surface as he uncovers mysteries long buried. A motorcycle accident in the nearby hills. The unexplained death of a local prison governor. And a high-profile child killing two decades before. Then another child goes missing, and Murrain and his team must race to identify the killer before the past catches up with them and it's too late…
“A talent to be reckoned with … A strong story line, muscular prose and a real sense of pace…a police procedural for a new age.” DAILY MAIL"
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